The History of EZ-Flash Cartridges, Part 2 — The GBA and DS Transition

EZPass

In August 2005, following the release of a more secure version of the Nintendo DS and PassMe 2, EZ-Group finally broke their silence — announcing that they were working on EZPass 1 and EZ-Flash 4. They even published photos of prototypes for both devices.

While the release of EZ-Flash 4 was still some time away, EZPass was already in the final stages of development and nearly ready to launch.

However, EZPass alone couldn’t solve all the issues. The key component for launching games wasn’t the PassMe board itself (which could, in theory, be assembled manually), but a special utility that allowed users to replace the cartridge’s GBA bootloader with an NDS bootloader. Ideally, it would also allow game selection and saving directly to the cartridge.

To address this, EZ-Group planned to release their first PassMe device alongside a new version of their client software — EZClient 3.20. Naturally, the synchronization didn’t go as planned: first, at the end of October, EZPass went on sale (essentially useless without the software); then, a beta version of EZClient 3.20 was leaked; and only in mid-November was the final version officially released.

In practice, this had little impact. The device didn’t gain widespread adoption and was released in very limited quantities.

There were several reasons for this:

1. The market was already flooded with PassMe devices from other manufacturers — most of which were released earlier and worked with EZ-Flash 1/2/3.

2. EZPass offered virtually no advantages over standard PassMe devices (aside from the chip, which had no real impact on the end user).

3. Nintendo DS consoles with improved security were becoming more common, and these required PassMe 2 to function properly.

As a result, EZ-Group began working on EZPass 2 almost immediately after the release of EZPass 1. But by that point, they were already noticeably behind their competitors.

EZPass 2

At first glance, PassMe and PassMe 2 are nearly identical in terms of hardware.

Try to guess: which one in the photo is PassMe 1, and which is PassMe 2?

Still, there was one fundamental difference between the two. PassMe 1 worked with any Nintendo DS cartridge, while PassMe 2 required specific firmware tailored to a particular cartridge.

Initially, when purchasing a PassMe 2, buyers had to specify which NDS game cartridge they owned, and the seller would pre-flash the device with the appropriate firmware. For example, if you had a FIFA cartridge, the seller would install firmware compatible with that specific game before shipping.

As you can imagine, this was extremely inconvenient — if the original cartridge was lost or damaged, the PassMe 2 became unusable. To address this, manufacturers started creating their own tools for changing firmware: adapters that connected to a computer or console and allowed users to reconfigure PassMe 2 for different games.

Left — SuperPass 2, right — PassKey 2

This made the main challenge for developers finding a way to rewrite the firmware on the PassMe chip.

Initially, EZ-Group took a rather unusual approach — instead of releasing a user-friendly solution with built-in firmware rewriting, they distributed a special reflashing reader to sellers, which allowed them to convert an EZPass into an EZPass 2. This seemed odd, especially considering that competitors were already offering self-flashing devices out of the box.

It wasn’t until December 2005 that EZ-Group finally released a proper consumer-ready version of the device — a true EZPass 2, which allowed users to flash it themselves at home.

All these awkward interim solutions had a noticeable impact on sales. According to the developers, only a small number of EZPass 2 units were ever produced — which, in hindsight, is hardly surprising.

Meanwhile, EZ-Flash 4 was already on the horizon.

EZ-Flash 4

The development of EZ-Flash 4 was shaped by two key factors: the release of the SuperCard and the experience gained from designing the EZ-Flash 3.

Let's start with the SuperCard. While it wasn’t the most refined device, it offered one undeniable advantage — support for external memory cards. Why embed a fixed amount of memory when you can simply add a slot for widely available memory cards?

This simple yet clever idea emerged from a small Chinese shop called Romman and went on to set the standard for future flash cartridges. From the very first version, SuperCard relied on a memory card as its primary storage medium.

When EZ-Group introduced the EZ-Flash 3, they came up with a highly successful design featuring three types of memory: NOR, RAM, and NAND (more on that in Part 1).

Replacing the NAND chip with a memory card slot turned out to be not only logical, but also timely. Nintendo DS games often exceeded 32 MB, and fixed-size NAND memory quickly became a limiting factor.

It was this combination of SuperCard's influence and the solid foundation of EZ-Flash 3 that ultimately defined the final form of EZ-Flash 4.

There’s an interesting detail: initially, EZ-Group planned to release the cartridge in three color variants — red, blue, and green.

EZ-Group even held a user poll to decide which color to go with. The winner? White — a classic shade favored by many since the early days.

As a result, the company scrapped plans for color variants, auctioned off the existing prototypes, and launched the production version in a white shell.

EZ-Flash 4 hit the market in April 2006, priced at 398 yuan. But the device had its shortcomings.

At launch, it lacked support for Nintendo DS games — despite the earlier release of EZPass and EZPass 2. Thankfully, this was later resolved via a firmware update.

What couldn't be fixed, however, was the absence of two features: RTC (real-time clock) and savestates (instant saves).

EZ-Group officially stated that RTC was unnecessary for most users, and removing it allowed for a lower retail price.

But that decision highlighted a core issue: in trying to make the cartridge more affordable, EZ-Flash 4 ended up offering less functionality than EZ-Flash 3. A strange situation — during a generational shift in consoles, it wasn’t clear which product was actually better.

Still, the cartridge was well received overall. Despite the lack of RTC and savestates, the use of a removable memory card greatly improved usability for both GBA and NDS titles.

And yet, EZ-Flash 4 wasn't the company’s final release for 2006. Just a month later, in May, EZ-Group launched a new variant — the EZ-Flash IV Lite.

EZ-Flash IV Lite

This cartridge was designed specifically for the Nintendo DS Lite, which was just starting to gain popularity at the time. The new console featured a reduced GBA slot, meaning that traditional “full-size” flash cartridges stuck out beyond the console’s body and looked rather unsightly.

EZ-Flash IV Lite preserved the full functionality of the original EZ-Flash 4, but came in a compact shell tailored to fit perfectly into the DS Lite's GBA slot. This made it a far more practical and visually appealing option for owners of the updated console.

The only technical change was the memory card slot: instead of miniSD, the Lite version used microSD. This wasn’t just a nod to market trends — miniSD physically couldn’t fit into a cartridge body less than one centimeter tall.

In every other aspect, it was the same EZ-Flash 4 — with identical capabilities, software, and operation principles.

However, one curious detail stands out: EZ-Group developed a special adapter that allowed the EZ-Flash IV Lite to work not only with the DS Lite, but also with standard Game Boy Advance consoles.

EZ-Mugen

Surprisingly, the EZ-Flash IV Lite turned out to be almost an exact copy of the EZ-Flash Reform — a cartridge that wouldn't appear until 11 years later.

However, there was one key difference. With the Reform, the EZ-Group team acted much more pragmatically: the device came with two cases — a full-size one (for GBA/SP) and a compact one (for DS Lite). And that made perfect sense: since the board had become smaller, not larger, why make a bulky adapter when you could simply use a standard case with alternate mounts?

Back in 2006, though, when working on the EZ-Flash IV Lite, they didn’t think of this — and instead of choosing the simple route, they decided to reinvent the wheel.

The result was a rather awkward-looking adapter — the EZ-Mugen, intended to let the Lite cartridge function in standard GBA consoles.

But once EZ-Group saw the clunky creation they had made, they quickly shelved the project. As a result, the EZ-Mugen never entered mass production and remained a rare prototype.

Still, EZ-Group didn’t stop there. Just a month later, in July 2006, they released the EZPass 3 — essentially their own NoPass device.

EZPass 3 (NoPass)

In contrast to earlier PassMe versions — which required inserting an original cartridge to bypass protection — EZPass 3 worked as a standalone device. It emulated a licensed cartridge, fully replicating its behavior to gain access to Nintendo DS mode.

This made launching NDS games from a flash cartridge significantly easier: users no longer had to hunt for a "compatible" game, flash the PassMe specifically for it, or use any adapters. Just plug it in — and it works.

Essentially, EZPass 3 was EZ-Group’s answer to the first NoPass devices, which had only just started appearing in April 2006. With this release, the company finally caught up with the rest of the industry and reached the same level as major players like M3, SuperCard, and G6.

EZ-Group was back in the game — just in time for the coming revolution, as the market was on the verge of transitioning to Slot-1 flash cartridges. And that shift was about to change everything.

EZ-Flash IV Lite Deluxe and Compact

In 2006, following the success of the original EZ-Flash IV Lite, EZ-Group introduced two additional models in the same line: the Compact and the Deluxe.

These models targeted different segments of the market — from budget-conscious users to those who prioritized performance and stability.

The EZ-Flash IV Lite Compact was priced at just 198 yuan, making it one of the most affordable flash cartridges from a major manufacturer.

Its low cost came at the expense of functionality: this was a heavily stripped-down version. It lacked support for Game Boy Advance games entirely and operated only in Nintendo DS mode, rendering it practically useless for GBA fans. It also didn’t include NOR memory — relying solely on a microSD card and loading games directly into RAM.

EZ-Group marketed the Compact model as a minimalist and cost-effective solution for DS Lite owners interested exclusively in NDS games.

On the other end of the spectrum, the EZ-Flash IV Lite Deluxe was a technically upgraded version of the original Lite. Priced at 338 yuan, it offered much more than just a “Deluxe” label.

The key improvements included:

• 384 megabits of NOR memory — useful for storing and quickly accessing smaller GBA titles directly from internal memory;
• 256 megabits of PSRAM — a significant upgrade. On the standard EZ-Flash IV, 32 MB games could only be written to NOR memory, which took time. With the Deluxe, these larger GBA games could be loaded into PSRAM instead, allowing for immediate launch without waiting for NOR flashing — a big quality-of-life improvement.

Thanks to this balance of performance and flexibility, the Deluxe version became the optimal choice for those wanting to enjoy both GBA and NDS games on the Nintendo DS Lite without compromise.

Epilogue

The years 2005–2006 became some of the most productive in EZ-Group’s history. While it initially seemed that the company had lost momentum and fallen behind the competition, within just a year they managed not only to catch up — but to confidently re-enter the race, releasing an entire lineup of relevant and in-demand products.

This period marked a true transition for EZ-Group — from the golden era of GBA flash cartridges to the emerging, uncharted world of the Nintendo DS. And perhaps the most regrettable aspect of this shift was how, in their efforts to stay competitive, they came dangerously close to losing the identity that once made them pioneers in the GBA scene.

But 2006 wasn’t the end — far from it. On the horizon was EZ-Group’s first genuine flash cartridge designed specifically for the Nintendo DS. And with it, the full-fledged Slot-1 era was about to begin.

That, however, is a story for the next article.